Debuting KC Royals pitcher had a rollercoaster outing against Detroit Tigers

The Kansas City Royals’ Friday night loss to the Detroit Tigers was a disappointing start to the AL Central rivals’ series, but it marked an unforgettable night for one player.

Right-handed pitcher Andrew Hoffman made his MLB debut against the Tigers, just two days after the Royals selected his contract from Triple-A Omaha. Unfortunately, it was far from a storybook outing for the Illinois native.

Hoffman took the mound in the top of the 8th inning with Kansas City trailing Detroit 5–4. While a one-run deficit felt insurmountable given this year’s Royals lineup, Hoffman’s task was clear: keep the game close and give his team a chance. That’s not what happened.

It was a tale of two innings for Andrew Hoffman in his KC Royals debut.

Tigers first baseman Spencer Torkelson promptly doubled his squad’s lead with a solo home run on a middle-middle Hoffman changeup. Three batters later, another Tigers baserunner crossed the plate on an RBI single from catcher Dillon Dingler, who went 3-for-3 with three RBIs on Friday.

Hoffman’s two earned runs ultimately proved to be the difference, as Kansas City fell 7–5. There might have been few complaints if manager Matt Quatraro had lifted Hoffman after that second run. But patience paid off in the second half of Hoffman’s outing.

While Dingler did reach second on a wild pitch from Hoffman, the right-hander retired five of the final six batters he faced. The lone baserunner reached via a throwing error by third baseman Maikel Garcia, but Hoffman buckled down and struck out four of those five remaining Tigers.

It was a strong rebound for the rookie, who was likely battling plenty of debut nerves under the bright Friday night lights.

Hoffman tossed 45 pitches over his two innings of work, drawing on his prior starter stamina to close out the game.

He showcased his highly-touted “kick change” pitch—a weapon that has fueled his improvements from 2024 to 2025. The pitch features unique movement and delivery, and Hoffman leaned on it heavily, throwing it 44% of the time.

While it was the changeup that Torkelson drove out for a home run, Tigers hitters still whiffed on the pitch 54.5% of the time. That’s the eighth-highest whiff rate on changeups among MLB pitchers (minimum 20 thrown) and leads the Royals staff by a wide margin.

Hoffman’s MLB debut was well earned, thanks to his strong work with Triple-A Omaha. Across 19 appearances for the Storm Chasers this season, Hoffman posted a 2–2 record with a 2.84 ERA over 25.1 innings, tallying 37 strikeouts against just nine walks. His 33% strikeout rate ranks 17th among all Triple-A pitchers (minimum 20 innings pitched), while his 8% walk rate leads all Storm Chasers pitchers (minimum 20 innings). The 25-year-old joined the Storm Chasers in 2023 after arriving in the Royals organization via a July 2022 trade from the Atlanta Braves system.

With Hoffman’s debut, every player the Braves sent to Kansas City in the trade for the 35th overall pick in 2022 has now reached the MLB level. Outfielder Drew Waters is a fixture on the Royals’ 26-man roster in 2025, while infielder CJ Alexander made a brief appearance in Kansas City before joining the Athletics organization in 2024.

It remains to be seen how long Hoffman will stick with the Royals, but the latter half of his Friday night performance offers hope. If he can build on that stretch, he could emerge as a productive piece in Kansas City’s bullpen moving forward.